Archived News for Health Sector Professionals - August, 2012

The team of international researchers has proven that addiction to opiates, such as morphine and heroin, can be blocked, while at the same time increasing pain relief.

New research conducted by the Australian National University (ANU) has found that drought significantly increases the risk of suicide among rural males aged 30-49 years.

Federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs and the Northern Territory Minister for Health Kon Vatskalis have turned the first sod in the construction of the new Indigenous health research centre in the territory.

Speech can measure the severity of depression as well as a patient’s response to treatment, a new collaborative study between the University of Melbourne and the Center for Psychological Consultation in Wisconsin, USA has revealed.

A new study from The University of Queensland shows that monitoring the brain of stroke patients using Quantitative EEG (QEEG) studies could inform treatments and help minimize brain damage of stroke victims.

EEG stands for electroencephalogram and is a medical test which is used to measure the electrical activity of the brain.

Dr Simon Finnigan from UQ's Centre for Clinical Research and Professor Michel van Putten from Medisch Spectr`um Hospital and University of Twente in the Netherlands, recently reviewed all published QEEG studies of stroke worldwide.

“The main goals of this research were to evaluate key findings, identify common trends and determine what the future priorities should be, both for research and for translating this to best inform clinical management of stroke patients,” Dr Finnigan said.

“Our studies have real potential to eventually contribute to better outcomes for stroke patients and for me this is the ultimate goal,” he said.

The review of outcomes from hundreds of patients has highlighted that QEEG indicators are particularly informative in two ways.

“Firstly they can help predict long-term deficits caused by stroke,” Dr Finnigan said.

“In addition, they could provide immediate information on how patients are responding to treatments and guide decisions about follow-on treatments, even before stroke symptoms change,” he said.

Currently, tissue plasminogen activator (TPA), a drug which can dissolve blood clots, is administered intravenously to stroke patients within 4.5 hours after the onset of symptoms and clinicians wait for visual signs that symptoms are improving.

If this doesn't occur after approximately one hour, follow-on treatments may be used.

“This is where QEEG could indicate whether or not the brain is responding to the drug. Plus, it could do so up to an hour before the symptoms might improve," Dr Finnigan said.

"This is a critical difference when “time is brain” and clinicians are trying to get blood back into the brain before it's too late. If QEEG can enable clinicians to start other treatments faster, this could help minimise brain damage and deficits," he said.

Dr Finnigan is working with neurologists, Dr Wong, Dr Read and Dr Sheikh and other clinicians at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH).

The Federal and Victorian Governments have struck a deal that will see the Barwon Region host one of the first National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) trial sites.

A study conducted by the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR) has found that skilled migrants to Australia who are unable to find jobs that utilize their education and qualifications are substantially more likely to suffer from mental health issues after three and a half years.

Forecasts for jobs growth released by the Western Australian Government predict a boom in health and social care sectors that ‘resemble those in the State’s resources sector.’

The Australian National University (ANU) has opened the final stage of The John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR).

The University of Wollongong’s Graduate School of Medicine has won a Federal Government grant to develop a program to train doctors to carry out video medical consultations with patients (known as Telehealth) using the National Broadband Network (NBN).

The President of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Steve Hambleton, has warned that proposed aged care reforms will not deliver their desired outcomes because the Government and key stakeholders are not placing a high enough priority on the medical care needs of older Australians.

Australian doctors sometimes fail to warn patients of risks that could affect the patient’s quality of life before providing treatment or surgery, a new study led by University of Melbourne researchers has shown.

City doctors would need a salary increase of up to $200,000 to entice them work in some country areas, a University of Melbourne study has determined.

Federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek has joined her Western Australian counterpart to turn the first sod of the construction of the $360 million Midland Health Campus in Perth.

The Federal Government has welcomed the move by New South Wales to decommission its independent organ donation register and sign up to the national Australian Organ Donor Register.

The South Australian Government has announced the appointment of members to the Health Performance Council (HPC) for its second term.

The Federal Government has poured $7.4 million into funding three separate mental health research centres.

Scientists have discovered a new avenue for the treatment of vision loss, one of the complications of Parkinson's disease.

A major international study led by University of Adelaide researchers aims to prevent death and serious illness caused by one of the most common infections contracted by patients in hospitals.

The University of Wollongong (UOW) will partner with leading Chinese high tech pharmaceutical corporation Di’ao Group to research the effectiveness of natural Chinese medicines for treating a range of medical conditions including Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, schizophrenia and obesity.